Autorentext

Ross Blankenship, Ph.D., is an organizational psychologist and founder of Tuesday Advisors, a leadership coaching and consulting firm, where he helps executives and their teams navigate change, growth, and the complexity of modern work. He is the author of Everyday Leadership: A Guide to Developing Your Mindset as a Leader.

Klappentext

In a world shaped by automation, disconnection, and relentless change, leadership is no longer just a matter of strategy and execution, it’s a matter of emotion. Friction is a bold, research-backed guide to the new frontier of leadership: one where emotional intelligence isn’t just a soft skill, it’s the skill that matters most.

Written by organizational psychologists and leadership experts Dr. Ross Blankenship and Dr. Maggie Sass, this book redefines emotional intelligence for a transformed workplace. It offers an evolved framework helping readers - from emerging leaders to CEOs - navigate complexity with clarity, empathy, and purpose.

With real stories, actionable tools, and provocative insights, Friction helps leaders recognize the emotional resistance within themselves and others, understand the identities and instincts that surface under pressure, and engage with a depth that AI can’t replicate. This isn’t Emotional Intelligence 3.0, it’s an emotional agility playbook for what’s next.

Inhalt

Introduction:

• Leadership is Emotional: Why emotions—not just different types of intelligence—shape our impact at work. The evolution from foundational EQ to next-gen leadership.

Part I: The Emotional Reality of Work

1) The Emotions Organizations Are Afraid Of

Why love, rage, terror, disgust, and awe (and other emotions) might be your most powerful leadership tools.

2) Emotions Before Outcomes

Understanding how emotional signals influence behavior, trust, and performance—often before logic kicks in.

3) The Emotional Cost of Leading

What no one tells you about the emotional labor of leadership—and how to sustain yourself through it.

Part II: The EQ Framework for Modern Leadership

1) Anticipation

Navigating change, casting vision, and leading with foresight—emotionally.

2) Participation

Goal-setting, delegation, feedback, and accountability, through the lens of emotional resonance.

3) Cooperation

The relational core of leadership: listening, collaboration, and conflict as emotionally intelligent acts.

Part III: Emotional Intelligence in Action

1) Self, Then System

Using self-awareness and self-management as the foundation for influencing culture, change, and decision-making.

2) Feeling the Friction

Decoding emotional data at work: what people say, what they don’t, and what it all means.

3) What AI Can’t Feel

Why empathy, trust, and nuance will define human leadership in the age of intelligent machines.

Conclusion: Feel First. Lead Better.

A call to action and practice. Leadership starts within.